Lodi establishes a brand

Wednesday

May 8, 2013 at 12:01 AMMay 8, 2013 at 11:44 AM

LODI - Lodi tourism experts revealed its new brand at its annual luncheon Tuesday, displaying a marketing campaign they hope will let people from out of town know that, yes, Lodi is a burgeoning wine region but also much more.

Keith Reid

LODI - Lodi tourism experts revealed its new brand at its annual luncheon Tuesday, displaying a marketing campaign they hope will let people from out of town know that, yes, Lodi is a burgeoning wine region but also much more.

The Visit Lodi! Conference and Visitor's Bureau will buy advertisements and signs that show what is "behind the wine." Headlined by a new logo that reads "Lodi California behind the wine" with a wine glass blending into the "o" in Lodi, the campaign features different photos of people kayaking on the Mokelumne River, skydiving, and visiting local art galleries and theaters.

One ad says, "Your story starts here" with a photo of a local wedding. Another ad says, "There's more magic to Lodi than what's in your glass."

Visit Lodi! CEO Nancy Beckman said the first ad in Via magazine has been met with rave reviews.

"It really is flexible and lets us show all the different things we can see and do here," Beckman said.

The campaign caught the eye of an Oscar-winning Hollywood screenwriter who attended Tuesday's luncheon as a guest.

"I came to Lodi several years ago, and I remember it being a charming place, but I couldn't remember why it was charming. These ads remind me," said Barry Morrow, who won Hollywood's biggest award for his work writing the 1988 film "Rain Man."

"It's been 10 years since I last visited Lodi. My lasting memory is of the Mission-style archway downtown. Now I'm looking at a revitalized downtown and the people here. ... I've never met a grumpy person here," Morrow added.

Beckman said the conference and visitors bureau spent 18 months working with North Star Destination Strategies, which poured hours of research and testing into the $76,000 campaign to find out how to attract more people to Lodi.

Lodi businesses will be allowed to use the new logo in their materials and labels as well.

North Star CEO Don McEachern said coming up with "behind the wine" is "a little science and a bit of art."

"We came to an agreement on a strategy. It isn't enough for Lodi to take its place in the wine galaxy," McEachern said. "It's giving people a way to see what is different."

Branding has been done elsewhere locally in recent years. In 2008, the Downtown Stockton Alliance spent $125,000 on its Celebrate Stockton campaign. A total of 120 cheerful banners were placed downtown with messages for people to celebrate different facets of the city.

Last year, the Lodi-Woodbridge Winegrape Commission launched a hefty advertising campaign for its LoCA brand. Billboards highlighting wine and leisure were placed along Highway 99, and other print ads and social media sites are using the campaign to bring more awareness to Lodi as a wine region.